“Animation is just for kids” is the age-old debate capable of stoking the constantly kindling flames of online discourse. 

Over the years, Pinocchio (2022), Coraline (2009), and A Scanner Darkly (2006) have all surfaced the discussion in favor of the universal nature of animation as a medium. These claims have merit, as those films were widely successful with a range of audiences. Revered animation director Brad Bird firmly and passionately advocates this notion. His newest venture, Ray Gunn, is a shiny new name to add to this placard.

The film, which just had its world premiere at the London Film Festival 2026, is set in a distant future where there are flying cars and aliens coexisting with humans; we meet ex-law enforcement officer Ray Gunn (Sam Rockwell) and weary yet sharp-minded Eye-Ra Kadok (Tom Waits): two halves of the discreet investigators duo. Scrapped for money and at risk of losing their office, Ray is desperate for any job with a hefty paycheck, which leads him and his partner to get wrapped up in the messy, scandalous life of pop star Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson). 

Bird — the mind behind The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004), and Ratatouille (2007), to name a few — operates well within his wheelhouse, working alongside director of photography Erik Smitt and the extraordinarily talented animation crews from Skydance Animation and Cinesite to create spectacularly cinematic sequences. Whether it is playing with unconventional foreground and background framing choices in dialogue-heavy scenes or choreographing dynamic bursts of action in high-stakes moments, you are completely sucked into Bird’s world.

The animating legend practices what he preaches, trusting his audience (regardless of age bracket) by not overexplaining or shying away from more “grown-up” concepts. The futuristic setting of Metropia is still grounded in the present, highlighting themes revolving around the strenuous hierarchy between living things, the commodification of artists, and the alarming lack of privacy in an ever-evolving digital age — all topics that are prevalent today. 

Writers Bird and Matthew Robbins purposefully make it easier to step into the societal norms and problems that are rooted within the city as they mirror our own without compromising accessibility to younger audiences. In that way, Ray Gunn is the spiritual sister to The Incredibles, a film that is lauded for similar reasons: tone, narrative devices, and extravagant storytelling. 

Rockwell and Waits’ comedic chemistry shines, as if their characters have shared a wealth of memories. Rockwell is brooding yet inquisitive, embodying exactly what you’d expect from a spy film lead. Waits is the perfect partner to Ray, critical yet loyal. Their dynamic blends the best aspects of a modern buddy-cop comedy like Bad Boys (1995) with an old-school detective thriller like The Maltese Falcon (1941). 

Johansson’s portrayal of the effervescent Venus brings the film noir energy it strives to achieve. Channeling the iconic Phyllis Dietrichson played by Barbara Stanwyck from Double Indemnity (1944), her character is full of alluring mystery and fierce opinions. You cannot help but be enchanted by Venus and all the questions that enshroud her.

Bird focuses on driving characters, a refreshing take compared to the more parable-like box that animated features often force themselves into. As a result, the screenplay reads as one that could easily be live-action. By treating the medium with the same respect as its non-animated counterparts, the film gives audiences of all ages pockets that will resonate with them.   

Of course, a Bird feature cannot go without an electric score from the wonderful Michael Giacchino. The composer superbly balances the smoky jazz of the private investigators, the robotic reverb of Metropia, and the larger-than-life orchestral brassy booms during the action. It’s just the right scoring to tie the film together.

Ray Gunn is a fun-filled futuristic spy thriller that never shies away from heavier and more mature topics that are often untouched within animation. It is an epic amalgamation of Bird’s highly impressive body of work: cinematic animation and succinct storytelling. A real treat.

Review Courtesy of Nandita Joshi

Feature Image Credit to Netflix